This invention relates generally to loading dock shelters and is particularly directed to an arrangement for providing a seal between an aft lateral edge of a vehicle and an opening in a wall to which is mounted a loading dock shelter to facilitate loading/unloading of the vehicle.
A vehicle such as a truck is generally placed in close proximity to a door opening in a building wall to facilitate the loading or unloading of the vehicle. The aft end of the vehicle generally extends into or in close proximity to the opening which usually has a greater width than that of the vehicle so that vehicles of different widths can be easily backed into operative relation to the door opening. With a door opening wider than the width of the vehicle, the gap therebetween exposes the inside of the building to the elements outside. To isolate the building's inside from the outside elements, the opening in the building's wall is provided with a structure known as a loading dock shelter.
Loading dock shelters are generally classified into two different types: (1) those embodying resilient, compressible pad members, and (2) those making use of fabric or sheet material so as to form walls or curtains. The resilient pad members of the former type are generally disposed adjacent to respective lateral edges of the aperture in the wall and are adapted to engage rear edges of walls of the vehicle. The width of these pads allows this type of dock shelter to accommodate vehicles of various widths. Examples of this type of dock shelter can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,181,205 to Frommelt et al and 3,500,599 to Sciolino.
In the latter type of dock shelter mentioned above, a retractable supporting frame provides support for the curtains and protection for the dock shelter structure by permitting the dock shelter to be retracted as the vehicle is backed into position in preventing damage to the dock shelter. Examples of this type of dock shelter employing a yieldable frame can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,892,463 and 3,352,314 to Frommelt et al.
A variation on the second type of dock shelter discussed above includes a rigid frame with cover members disposed thereon to be yieldably held in sealing engagement with the top and sides of a vehicle positioned in cooperative engagement with the dock shelter. A loading dock shelter of this type is disclosed in our U.S. Pat. No. 3,403,489.U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,954 to Frommelt et al is also of the type having a rigid frame with cover members engaging the aft edges of a vehicle in a yieldable manner. Each of the side sections of the elongated side walls of this loading dock seal flare outwardly from each other in a transverse direction for yieldingly engaging adjacent aft edges of a vehicle's door panels and side walls to fill the gap therebetween and prevent the passage of air into and out of the building between these two portions of the vehicle while the vehicle is being loaded or unloaded.
The present invention is a novel seal for use in a loading dock shelter which is adapted for use with vehicles having a wide range of widths, is stored in a nonuse position to prevent contact with a moving vehicle and possible damage to the dock seal, is easily movable by hand to the use, vehicle engaging position, and provides an impervious seal between the lateral panels of the vehicle and facing portions of a building wall to which the dock seal is mounted so as to prevent air flow into or out of the building.